Never in my thirty years did I think my new normal would be a gig as a soul collector's assistant--slave really--where I help stockpile souls from the miserable mortals who sell them to him. The demon thinks he can control me, but I plan on doing things differently . . . my way. But we all know it's never that easy or that simple, especially in my life. Surprisingly, things get off to a good start. Who am I kidding? The job doesn't pan out to be what I first thought. It's worse. Way worse. And before I know it, I'm in hot water with no easy way out. If that isn't bad enough, the soul collector is hiding something from me that could make or break the deal I made with him. Something, if found out, that could change everything . . . It's time to yank up my big girl panties, chuck down some wine, and do things my way. If it doesn't kill me first.
Kim Richardson is the award-winning author of the bestselling SOUL GUARDIANS series. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. She is the author of the SOUL GUARDIANS series, the MYSTICS series, and the DIVIDED REALMS series. Kim's books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over 7 languages.
“Es parte de mi trabajo, filtrar a los locos”. (Objetivamente son dos estrellas).
Maldita la hora que pospuse esta lectura. Ha sido todo lo que necesitaba. Me ha animado y he hecho reír. No es lo mejor del mundo la saga, pero es mi placer culpable.
As with any urban fantasy series, it is best to listen to the Witches of Hollow Cove in the order of their release. In the last novel, Tessa made a deal with a soul catcher. She agreed to work for him collecting souls. Only doing so has horrific consequences. Just a piece of advice… always read the contract before you sign it.
I’ve enjoyed the audiobooks in this series, and each one is better than its predecessors. Tessa gets herself in trouble, but I love that it’s because she is looking out for others. Her Aunts don’t have a potion to solve this, and she might not get the guy, but I have confidence she’ll figure things out… even if it brings more trouble.
We get to know Tessa’s father a little more as they look for solutions. The soul catcher is hiding something and the ride to discover it was thrilling. I like that the current issue is resolved and the overall story arc is strengthened. Tessa is a Merlin and has some unique abilities with each installment she strengthens them.
We meet new characters and Tessa gains some allies, as she must complete a mission to save herself and some furry friends. The secondary characters are a hoot and I chuckling at them, but Tessa steals the show.
Fans of small-towns and urban fantasies with cozy mystery vibes will enjoy the Witches of Hollow Cove. I recommend grabbing the audiobooks. This is the perfect format for them, and Devon Sorvari’s performance is outstanding. Each character is given a voice that fits their personality bring them to life. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Me ha gustado mucho el libro, tiene esa magia de que no puedes soltar el libro en ningún momento 👌🏻 Y ahora tengo muchas ganas de seguir con los siguientes libros de la sala 😃
3.5 stars This is one of my favorites so far in The Witches of Hollow Cove series. Tessa didn't irritate me nearly as much as she has in previous books (which obviously isn't that much or I wouldn't still be reading the series) and the plot was very compelling. That last book had ended on a bit of a cliff, so I was pretty eager to see what would happen. As this is book 5, definite series spoilers to follow.
In the last book, Tessa had made a deal with a soul catcher to be in his service for one month in exchange for releasing all the souls he had taken as part of another contract. And at the end of that book, he had called in her payment. So I was excited to see what the soul collecting would look like. It was an interesting world development, with some unexpected consequences that really made up the bulk of the conflict for Practical Hexes. As is typical of this series, there's no predicting where things will go or how she'll solve her problem as that all unfolds as Tessa learns new things. I found it very engaging and was very interested to see how she'd get herself out of this mess.
I do still feel that the characters are on the flatter side/fairly two dimensional. I'd really like to see a little more depth - I keep hoping for it. We got a small glimpse of it in her father and the soul collector, so maybe others will develop a bit more as the series progresses? I do enjoy the stories, so that would bring the whole thing up a notch for me.
It ends with this main story arch completed but yet another (maybe really 2?) cliffs. I'm expecting consequences from how she solved her mess and then there's a bombshell her aunts dropped -- one that I HOPE will lead to more depth in their characters for the next book.
The narration continues to be an uncertainty for me. I don't dislike Devon Sevari by any means - I just find myself struggling with the dialogue and wondering how much is the writing and how much is the narration. If voiced differently, would it bother me less? But maybe my problem with the dialogue is part of this larger character issue I have? I don't know, but I will continue listening and I'd like to try out another book/series narrated by Devon Sevari sometime to compare.
Tessa finds herself bound to a soul collector due to a daring deal she made to save the souls of the departed in her town - witches like her Gran
But she overlooked a few things - like what it might do to her own soul or powers to collect souls, why the soul collector was so motivated, and the effects on others in her family
Reapers, and shifters, and exes, and demons - what an exciting read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Deals with demons never go smoothly. New friendships and old friendships help move the story along in a heartwarming way. I love the family support and growing relationships!
Tessa has gotten herself into a major bind this time. In order to save her grandmother’s soul, she agreed to work for the soul collector for a month. Things didn’t work out quite the way she thought they would. And she should know, you can never trust a demon.
Things are beginning to heat up with Marcus. But it seems they are interrupted every time it gets interesting. Iris kills me with her little spells, Tressa cracks me up with her attitude and Allison needs to go. This story ARC gets better with each book. I am looking forward to the next book.
So, at the end of the last book, we were left with a bit of a cliffhanger. Tessa has signed a deal with the soul collector to save the souls from Hollow Cove. Little does she realize the consequences of her action. Marcus is furious and when her father finds out, well that's going to be interesting as well. Her father has already saved her from the Soul Collector aka Jack once and now she's up and made a deal. Her services for one month for the release of the Hollow Cove Souls. Unfortunately, service translate to slave in the Netherworld.
There's more here than meets the eye and she's determined to figure it out and beat it. From the first night just observing 'Jack' she is sickened by what he's going to expect her to do.
In spite of everything Marcus is supportive of her, and Iris has been sending little curses to Allison which makes Tessa laugh and Allison scream revenge.
Her mother admits that Obiryn aka Obi-Wan Kenobi is indeed her father and tells her to be safe before taking off with Sean again.
Tessa's first actual soul collecting is very hard for her, and that was followed up by the signing of contracts on the palliative floor. But when she has to bring that soul to the locker, she makes a startling discovery. The familiars are there, they weren't released like the others. She sees the gorgeous black cat Hildo, but he turns away from her when he finds out she's collecting souls.
When Tessa wakes on her thirtieth birthday she gets the shock of her life. She's dramatically aged and Jack knew it would happen. He also lied about the length of her contract. So now she needs a new plan or she will die. Her father can't help her because of saving her life once, however, he does give her an idea of how to reverse the aging.
It's while she's investigating that possibility that she sees Hildo again and he's actually the one to give her the only real choice. A different deal.
What Tessa has to accomplish is dangerous and she is determined to win. There's laughter, tears, friendship and sizzle as this story winds to it's conclusion and oh boy what an ending!
My least favorite so far in the series. I’m giving this 1.5 stars.
Oh where do I start this time…
Typos, there were so many this time around that they are hard to overlook. Sweat potatoes? What are sweat potatoes? I have heard of sweet potatoes, but not sweat potatoes. Then there was shall instead of shawl. I am no grammar police, but this wasn’t good. How was this missed in editing?
The number of inconsistencies and holes I filled in all the overwhelming amounts of plots thrown into this stories. This book left me feeling like too much was happening and not enough follow through to back it up.
The Marcus, Allison, & Tessa drama continues. I’m not liking that the drama has become repetitive and that it’s not moving forward. It’s like they are stuck in high school, grownup and act like the adults you are supposed to be. Either give us the epic battle of Allison and Tessa or If no epic battle then gorilla Barbie needs to just be written out. It’s useless word vomit at this point.
Oh Tessa, oh Tessa; where is your common sense? With your anger issues, reckless behavior, and how you stumble through your misadventures one after the other without thought or care; leaves me wondering about your level of intelligence at this point. Yes, you make these decisions out of a loyalty to family and friends, but common sense should play a factor too. Always read your contract before signing when dealing with a demon!
I think I have developed a love/hate relationship with this series and that I why I am still reading it. I guess you could say I look forward to seeing how Tessa will screw up and then flounder about figuring out how to fix it. Maybe I just keep hoping with the next one things will get better.
I still want to see more depth to all the character backgrounds.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Tessa has to go help the sole collector and it has an unexpected effect, on her birthday she wakes as an 80-year-old... travelling between the netherworld and Hollow Cove has, in two weeks aged her 50 years... so how can she get her youth back?
She also has a "Tessa, I am your father" moment with Obi Wan Kanobi, gets a hug from her uncaring mother and finds out she was tricked in lifetime service to the sole collector...
Well, why not chat with the random familiars who are still lurking in the locker, find out the sole collector's secret and make another deal? Which will lead to yet another deal and the consequences may not be all she hoped for...
Seriously the Boston and Egyptian bits were just ridiculous and a stretch too far considering that she used the ley lines she'd been unable to manage for a short stop to get all the way there and back, the vague wards thing was not fully considered or written well, and why, oh, why has she not had any training from MERLIN.. she is there to prevent demons from getting into Hollow Cove but she's making deals with them... why doesn't she have a demon eradication manual?
I liked this book, but I'm conflicted if I want to continue reading the remaining books in the series.
Tessa gets 'tricked' into becoming a Soul Collector. While in employ of the Demon, she learns not only did he know that working for him, even only for a short period of time, would likely kill her, he also changed the length of the contract.
Tessa learns that the reason the Soul Collector, Jack, is desperate to harvest the greatest quantity possible is because a Reaper is holding his wife hostage.
I don't understand any of the conflicts or the resolutions in the book. There aren't any great potions, curses or hexes. Removing eyebrows is just petty.
Tessa doesn't seem to be learning any lessons. Her relationships with her family, father, and Marcus don't have a natural progression. I also suspect that she is suffering from a UTI with all the peeing. Which I find gross.
Tessa has been called to be the assistant to the soul catcher. Tessa is put through the ringer with this bargain. Tessa finds out there is a sudden side effect to her bargain, she will do what ever she can to fix it. Tessa also is still dealing with Allison and her ways. Iris has been sneaking in some blows to her, that will fall back on Tessa. Tessa will also ask her father for help.
This character will be asked to things she doesn't want to do, she will try to find a way around it. Tessa will also get interesting information from her mother and father. Tessa will also make a unlikely friend and ally when this is all over with. You will be riveted to this story as it is not what you would it will be. You will be holding during this rollercoaster ride with the character. This story was fun, interesting and I could not put the book down at all.
WARNING! Cliffhanger! As with most of the books in this series, it ends on a book hook style cliffhanger, fortunately the next book is already out, but it’s a fairly big hook this time!
Tess has to work with the Soul Collector as part of the deal she made to save the souls from Hollow Cove, including her grandmother. It’s a harsh job, but she had agreed to a month of slavery. It’s not long before Tess realizes that something might just make that month her last…
Lost of exciting stuff in this one. We see more of Tess’ father, learn a lot about demons, meet some interesting characters, and discover the existence of some beings that might just be worse than anyone else. Tess and Marcus have some progress on their relationship as well, and a few intriguing secrets are revealed.
Another enjoyable addition to this cosy paranormal mystery series.
This has definitely been my favourite if the series so far. At the end of the last book, Tessa made a deal with a soul catcher. This book is about her completing that deal as she agreed to work for him collecting souls for a month. Only doing so has horrific consequences. Just a piece of advice… always read the contract before you sign it. I’ve enjoyed the audiobooks in this series, and each one is better than the previous books. We get to know Tessa’s father a little more as they look for solutions to the consequence. We also have the mystery of what the soul catcher is hiding something and might be the way to get Tessa out of the contract. I enjoyed this story and find I was able to ignore the 'lady balls' comments that annoyed me in the previous book. Fans of small-towns and easy reading mystery will enjoy the Witches of Hollow Cove. I recommend the audiobooks as think it helps bring the books alive xxx
have to say this book was the most interesting of the series so far. The story introduced another world, Tessa and her father are getting to know each other, Marcus and Tessa are getting it on - literally, the witchy powers are enhancing and of course Hildo!
Without telling spoilers for the book, I would say the story writing is becoming more intriguing and Tessa is becoming more tolerable, at least in this story she didn't make another dumb decision - but that's for now, who knows what could happen in the next story.
My main gripe for this series, is every book is the same, there's always an evil, she always solves it and then it ends on a cliffhanger of the next evil - the author really needs to come up with a better concoction of events to change it up a little bit. Nevertheless, I am 5 books in now so I shall continue reading.
If you take a peek at how long it took me to finish this book, don't let that make you think this book isn't good, I just ended up in a small audio slump for a little bit, and got distracted. However I will say, coming back into a book at 50% was very interesting because I had to remember where I was, what was going on, and who everyone is with relationships and things.
Overall, I still very much love the Witches of Hallow Cove, and I was glad to be back in the Cove. The demon mix into the plot was so interesting and I love the continued dive into the world and into the lore, how demon magic and souls work in this world. I also loved that we got the familiars and I'm so grateful for how it ended for the familiars.
And of course, I can't wait to dive into the next book to see what it is that the aunts' are all sitting at the table worried about now!
I really liked this story a lot and I will be looking forward to the next one. However, there were typos and misspelled words that can't be simply overlooked when an author has this much experience. If she doesn't have an editor, she needs to get one. If she has one, she needs to replace him/her.
For example sweat potatoes do not exist. Sweet potatoes do. And sweat replaced sweet at least three times in this book. Also shall instead of shawl. I'm by no means perfect, but this isn't good.
There were plenty of humorous moments in this story and I did enjoy it. I just didn't like being pulled out of the story by unnecessary typos.
Tessa never disappoints with her sass, her hilarious comebacks and her kickass can-do attitude!! She gets into a bit of trouble in this part of the story but then again it seems like she is always getting herself into some kind of trouble!
Filled with hilarious antics, thrills, mystery, suspense and some pretty intense moments between Tessa and Marcus, this part of the story does not disappoint. You will be hooked and unable to put it down. Be prepared to read it in one sitting!!
Tessa is clearly becoming one of my most favorite characters! I can't wait for more.
Tessa is back and no w has to serve her time working for the soul collector after freeing all the souls from the last book. But of course things do not go quite as planned and thus begins the hilarious story of working for the demon. It was an entertaining hilarious story that I read in one sitting between laughing myself silly. And so amazed at the trouble Tessa can find herself in with no problem. Of course all my favorite characters pop back in too. Just an amazing story in this amusing series. The ending was a blast as Tessa figures out how to solve the problem she caused herself.
Sooooo this is book five and I finally feel like we’ve reached a point where Richardson has lost Tessa’s mojo. This book just wasn’t it. There was nothing of real substance here. I half expected the contract to be nullified or renegotiated on the grounds of the familiars. Just like he was able to keep them as a bonus. What happened with her dad? No one said what they talked about after Tessa left. Also, we learned earlier on how important names are… why was Tessa dropping her Dad’s like it was nothing? This story had too many holes and inconsistencies.
I have to say that “Practical Hexes” is my least favorite book in the Witches of Hollow Cove series. Honestly, I’m growing weary of all of the drama, repetitive relationships issues between Marcus and Tessa and most importantly the plot is not moving forward to an epic battle or outcome. It’s just one annoying problem after another with no unifying theme.
When I initially purchased this series I bought a six book set. So, I have one more to go and then I’m giving up. I know there is a book seven but I won’t be continuing beyond book 6. Enough is enough!
Tessa doesn't think at times, she gets a thought & acts on it. She doesn't think about the ramifications of her actions. The soul collector has her so upset about her team's soul, she makes a deal with the demon.
As Tessa starts collecting with the soul collector she starts to change but suddley. On morning she wakes up 50 years older. Now she must figure out how to reverse the effects.
This story made me laugh out loud as the others but it also triggered some sadness and tears because this effects her relationship. You have to read it to believe what happens.
„Practical Hexes“ by Kim Richardson is the third book in the “Witches of Hollow Cove” UF series, which follows Tessa, a witch in her early thirties that left NY (after ten year trying to pursue a career in the city) broke and heartbroken, to come back home to Hollow Cove and now lives with her eccentric aunts in the family state: Davenport House.
Tessa has managed to get herself into real big trouble this time, in her defense her intentions were good, she would do anything to save her grandmother’s soul, which in fact makes her the hero. It not her fault that ‘anything’ translated to a bound to a Soul Collector. Part apprentice, part secretary and full-time slave, Tessa is now entrusted to ‘organize’ the souls, from the sorry humans who made a pact with the demon, because make no mistakes, this Soul Collector is a demon, and a demon cannot be trusted. Another hilarious adventure from Tessa, only shadowed by some very silly editing mistakes.
“Witches of Hollow Cove” is a fast-paced UF series, that mixes eccentric witches, a supernatural town population, the occasional mystery, and a snarky heroine into entertaining mix of murder mystery, supernatural UF and chick lit.
I all I have to say is that if Malak would have played me like that, his scythe would have found a new place to be stuck. A very uncomfortable place 😜🤣 And who would have thought you can find it in yourself to call "friend" the guy/demon who got you a new Spandex based wardrobe, your Gran's walking cane and 50 years+aches? Did I stir your curiosity? Then go read this. It's fun and interesting with all the twists and turns things are taking. (It's past 3am. So if the last part doesn't make sense, you know why. Just go read this)
Tessa is a great female lead...i like her personality..funny but take not shit attitude .A small town in multiple laylined that is magical n protected by Tessa's aunts and by Marcus (shifter)local officer. Events and mysteries and challenges happen through out the series and Tessa and her lil group of paranormals end up solving of fixing the issues..but its always complicated .. forcing her to perfect her magic quickly to protect what she loves. Great series gets better the further u read...and its Funny -which I just love. Mrs.C 💋
My one and only issue with this series is that even though the story is always wrapped up there's always one little snippet setting up the next book that makes me want to read it straight away! The story was fantastic though and I love how Iris has become a part of Tessa's family and how the rest of the characters really help to round out the story. Always wouldn't mind having a shifter like Marcus for myself!
There is a lot to like about this series, however I am beginning to wonder if Tessa is ever going to start thinking before she recklessly makes a decision. She bumbles her way through one misadventure after the other without thinking any thing through. Sure she overcomes the problems she makes for herself in the end but it is usually followed by another bad decision. Her attitude and good heart can only be charming for so long before you start questioning her intelligence.
I really enjoyed this story, the twists and turns were fascinating, I was just astonished by the consequences that Tessa faced from saving the souls in the previous story. Just a very intriguing plot that kept me engaged and entertained, and definitely wanting to read the next instalment. Without adding spoilers, I was really impressed by the cat
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Practical Hexes is the fifth book in The Witches of Hollow cove series by Kim Richardson
After making a deal with a demon, Tessa is now the new assistant of this one, The Soul Collector. She will quickly learn that there's a side effect and she need to act fast before it's to late. She should have known to never trust a demon.
I have received an arc of this book from the author. I am really looking foward to the next book in this serie.